'MTV Unplugged' Returns to Television, Now With More Adam Lambert!

Have you found yourself sitting at home saying to yourself "Man--this Youtube thing sure gets boring fast. I really wish that 'Unplugged' show that used to be on MTV would come back. You know who'd be great for it? That over-the-top Adam Lambert guy from American Idol! He's kind of bubblegum pop. I feel like some bubblegum right now"?

MTV Networks is re-amplifying its "Unplugged" franchise. [...] This time around, "Unplugged" is a multiplatform branded-entertainment vehicle for Starburst, which will sponsor the concert series' revival across cable siblings MTV, VH1 and CMT and their respective websites, as well as use the series as branded content for MTVMusic.com and VH1 Mobile.

A variety of bands spanning different musical genres will perform on their corresponding network, starting with Adam Lambert on VH1 on March 10, Phoenix on MTV and Reba McEntire on CMT.

Each "Unplugged" performance will feature an unexpected cover song or other contradictory musical moment to sync up with Starburst's tagline "It's a juicy contradiction." Starburst's media agency, MediaVest, part of Publicis Groupe, helped create the sponsorship, which will last through August across eight episodes.

This is great news. Can you imagine the Lambert sitting on a stool, singing Leadbelly covers backed by Pat Smear and the Meat Puppets?

"Hey, Gene, you guys should also do an 'Unplugged' one day." "We did, Adam. Years ago. It's awesome too." "Oh, my bad. Back then I only listened to 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and 'Hedwig.'"

More highlights from the Advertising Age report

One of MTV's seminal music programs of the 1990s, "Unplugged" has been revived in recent years as "Unplugged 2.0" for artists such as Lauryn Hill and Linkin Park, and most recently last year as an online concert series for Katy Perry, Adele, Vampire Weekend and other emerging acts.

"The franchise has always been purely wonderful in that it shows musicians doing what they do best. So our thinking was, 'Why not do it across different genres of music?'" said Van Toffler, president of MTVN's Music, Films and Logo Group.

[...]

Ad Age: So who would be on your dream list of performers now, if timing wasn't an issue?

Mr. Toffler: I would love to see Prince do one, I think Gaga's got the chops to do one and people would love to see her just sit down at a piano and sing her songs. I've always wanted to have U2 do one.